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Public preview content

Every Arbitrum DAO governance document (excluding the Constitution) is initially published with the following "public preview" disclaimer:

PUBLIC PREVIEW DOCUMENT

This document is currently in public preview and may change significantly as feedback is captured from readers like you. Click the Request an update button at the top of this document or join the Arbitrum Discord to share your feedback.

This disclaimer is used to set expectations and to invite feedback from readers like you. Whenever there's evidence that a given document is meeting readers' needs, its public preview disclaimer is lifted. When a document's public preview disclaimer is lifted, it's considered "validated", but it's still subject to change based on reader feedback.

What types of documents does this apply to?​

This pattern applies to all Arbitrum DAO governance documents that are published here on the Arbitrum DAO docs portal, excluding The Constitution of the Arbitrum DAO. Examples include:

How do you know when a public preview document is ready to have its disclaimer lifted?​

In general, a document is considered validated if it's 1) frequently viewed, 2) has a low bounce rate, and 3) doesn't have any open issues on GitHub/Discord. This heuristic isn't supported by precise thresholds; it's an informal and experimental process. This document will be updated if the process changes.

Does this mechanism apply to The Constitution of the Arbitrum DAO?​

No. The private preview content pattern does not apply to The Constitution of the Arbitrum DAO.

What's the difference between a draft and a public preview?​

Readers generally interpret drafts as "not ready for public consumption". Arbitrum DAO's public preview documentation is ready for public consumption with the caveat that it still needs to be measured, validated, and optimized.

Does this mean that the Arbitrum DAO isn't committed to its governance documentation?​

No. The Arbitrum DAO is committed to its governance docs, just not in exactly the same way that it's committed to the Constitution:

  • The Constitution is the Arbitrum DAO's highest-order governance document. It's the only document that's subject to the formal governance proposal mechanism. In order for the Constitution to change, a proposal must be submitted to the Arbitrum DAO and approved by a majority of the Arbitrum DAO's voting power. This is a formal process that only the Arbitrum DAO can initiate and execute.
  • Other governance documents are derived from a combination of 1) the Constitution and 2) reader feedback. These docs frequently change via traditional pull requests issued against the governance docs repository. This is an informal, continuous, iterative process that anyone can participate in.

Is the governance protocol itself in public preview?​

No. This disclaimer applies only to the documents that display it. It doesn't apply to the protocol; it doesn't apply to the Constitution; it doesn't apply to the smart contracts; it doesn't apply to the DAO. The Arbitrum DAO's governance protocol is in production. Some of the Arbitrum DAO's governance documentation is in public preview; those docs are marked with the same PUBLIC PREVIEW DOCUMENT disclaimer that you see at the top of this page.